The women’s tennis team has been busy since starting the spring season. They faced St. Edward’s University Friday, Feb. 13, and lost 7-1. The following day, the women beat Mary Hardin-Baylor 7-2.
Trinity’s women faced a St. Edward’s team that is ranked 32nd in Division II.
The Tigers lost all three doubles matches. Marie Lutz and Liza Southwick lost 8-6 in No. 1 doubles, Blaire Porter and Cheyenne Duncan lost 8-6 in No. 2 doubles, and Gabrielle Roe and Caroline White lost 9-8 (7-4) in No. 3 doubles.
Even though the Tigers were not able to record a win against St. Edwards and are 3-3 on the season, they are still upbeat about what is to come.
“We are learning as fast as we can. Our doubles play is coming together and that is our ticket to getting ahead of the tough teams we are facing before we head to California for Spring Break matches against two top ten teams in DII,” said head coach Gretchen Rush.
The Tigers recorded their only win with Kristy Hamilton in No. 6 singles. Hamilton won her match 6-2, 4-6 and 6-0. In No. 1 singles, Southwick came up just short (6-7, 7-6 and 1-0). Lutz lost at No. 2 singles (6-0 and 6-2), Roe lost at No. 3 (6-0 and 6-3) and Porter lost at No. 4 (6-2 and 6-2). At No. 5 singles, White was down 4-6 after one set, but the match was halted before the second set began.
The following day, the women faced Division III rival Mary Hardin-Baylor, where the Tigers won 7-2 after winning two of three doubles and five of six singles.
Southwick and Lutz dominated their doubles match (8-0) and White and Roe also won with their score of 8-3. Kaitlyn Thompson and Elena Wilson fell short in their doubles match, losing 8-2.
In singles, Trinity continued to surge. Porter (6-2, 6-0), White (6-1, 6-0), Hamilton (6-1, 6-0), Nicole Rueb (6-2, 6-1) and Duncan (6-0, 6-0) all ousted their competitors. Southwick suffered a tough loss in her first set (7-6) and couldn’t come back in her second (6-4).
“I really think that both matches showed us something different that we’ll need to work for during the season,” Thompson said. “Like with any match, we had to work for the MHB win and never take anything for granted. Another thing is we really want to focus on doubles this season. Starting off the matches with solid doubles is really what we’ll need so we can move to singles with some momentum.”
The Tiger women will head to St. Mary’s for their next competition on Saturday, Feb. 28. Trinity now stands 3-3 after their split matches last week.
They expect difficult competition from their next opponents.
“I’m expecting a tough match against St. Mary’s and Rollins. My guess is both of those teams are as good or better than St. Edward’s and Incarnate Word,” Rush said.
Saturday, Feb. 14, the Tiger men lost 4-2 to the University of Incarnate Word but later in the day beat Laredo Community College 9-0. Trinity’s men now stand with a 4-2 record as their season picks up.
The men competed against UIW first, starting off strong by winning two of three doubles thanks to Jordan Mayer and Aaron Skinner (8-1) and Adam Krull and Clayton Niess (8-4).
In the No. 3 doubles, Charlie Curtis and Chas Mayer came up short, losing 8-4. In singles, Trinity struggled, as J. Mayer (6-3, 7-6), Skinner (6-2, 6-2), Curtis (7-6, 6-3) and C. Mayer (7-6, 6-3) all lost to their Cardinal rivals. Niess split the first of two sets at No. 5 singles, but the match was stopped before the third set began.
Later in the day, Trinity got the ball rolling as they shut out LCC. Mayer and Skinner (8-4), Krull and Niess (8-1) and Curtis and Pablo Diaz Boom (8-1) all won their doubles matches.
The Tiger success carried into singles, as all of the men won: Krull (6-1, 6-0), Skinner (6-1, 6-2), J. Mayer (6-2, 6-1), Curtis (6-2, 6-3), Diaz Boom (6-2, 6-3) and Eliot Guin (6-2, 6-1).
With their doubles performances, Krull and Niess have gotten off to a hot start with a record of 5-0 in doubles play thus far.
“We have a lot of confidence going into national indoors and that is huge,” Niess said. “I think we are going to be a very solid line two team.”
The men’s tennis team is now headed north to St. Peter, Minn. for the ITA National Indoors competition beginning on Friday, Feb. 20, and continuing through the weekend until Sunday, Feb. 22.
